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Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Alex Chhaya's Top Ten Movies

I'm not really one for movies, I much prefer videogames as a storytelling medium, although that’s not to say I don’t watch movies, I've watched a fair few in my time, at least 30 I'd say. I even like a few of them! As such; I thought it a good idea to share my top ten films so you too can see what I like and maybe give ‘em a go! Or hate them! The choice is yours!

10- Die Hard

Do I need to explain why I love this movie? Okay, fine. Other than being the greatest Christmas movie of all time, it’s also one of the greatest action movies of all time. With Bruce Willis giving it his all and Alan Rickman completely stealing the show. The movie doesn't have any low points to think of and well… it’s Die Hard! I don't need to explain why it’s great.

9- A Clockwork Orange

I love dark movies, and this is one of the darkest, with Malcolm McDowell terrifyingly chewing the scenery in one of the most important movies of all time. It almost seems darkly satirical of brain dead action films like number 10, almost like Spec Ops: The Line, it wakes what we love to see and shows us just how fucked we all are for liking this stuff. And I love it when movies make me feel bad.

8- The Iron Giant

This movie makes me cry like a bitch. This for me is the gold standard of animation, much better than anything Pixar or Disney has ever produced, with a compelling story of a boy and his robot (One that we all know), beautiful animation and artwork and a stellar voice cast; including, in my opinion, Vin Diesel’s finest work to this very day. The movie, sadly, did poorly at the box office, so go out now and buy this movie and show it some damn love.

7- Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Another movie about a boy and his robot… wait, this ends kinda similar to the previous film… huh. Is Iron Giant the PG Terminator 2? Anyway, this is up there with Die Hard for action movies (even with the low body count). This is the movie that cemented Arnold as the greatest thing ever in my formative years, and he still kinda is really. And I gotta admit… I cry like a bitch at that thumbs up.

6- Captain America: The Winter Soldier/ Dredd

Marvel has had a great track record with movies these past few years, with the great experiment with The Avengers paying off massively we all wondered… what next? Well they just got better with Iron man 3 improving greatly on the previous 2 and Thor improving in leaps and bounds with the Dark World and then Winter Soldier happened and holy shit. I haven’t left a cinema so satisfied since the Avengers with everyone getting much needed depth and chances to flex their acting muscles in what was more a spy thriller than a super hero movie it really showed what Marvel can do. On the other side of the spectrum is the ultra-violence filled Dredd! Dredd was the perfect adaption of everyone’s favourite Judge. With a deeply complex story hidden just beneath what can be easily mistaken as a bog standard action flick. It has all the dark comedy and violence that we've come to expect from Britain’s leading comic hero and I loved every minute of it.

5- Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim is the greatest stupid movie ever. Yes, the logistics of the Jägers make little logistical sense, but would you rather watch 3 hours of Naval patrols firing cannons occasionally at the ocean? No of course not! Because that’s boring and giant robots fighting monsters is awesome now shut up and watch this movie.

4- Children of Men

As mentioned above I love dark movies and this is one of the darkest. With Humanity on the brink of extinction after the last Human birth happening over 18 years ago, wait, I don’t wanna go any further lest I spoil things. Anyway, what I really love about this movie is all the tiny little details in the background, like the newspaper clips showing off the gradual downfall of the world and the several uses of the continuous shot that really makes everything feel so smooth and almost surreal compared to the editing of some movies. All in all it’s a brilliant film.

3- No Country for Old Men

This is the first film that ever left me feeling empty. Now I know that may not sound like the best sell of a movie “Oh you should watch this it makes you feel bad about being Human!” But… well, that’s kinda why I like it really, it’s uncompromising about how it shows the horrors of the drug trade and poverty. No one really comes across as all the way good or evil, but everyone lives in this moral grey area, just like real life. It’s harsh; it depressing and I love it.

2- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Well this a sudden turn. Yes, Empire is number 2. The Star Wars trilogy had a profound effect on me as a young’un and for the longest time Return of the Jedi was my favourite ‘cause it had the most action. But as I grew older I came to love Empire more. It’s opening loss at the battle of Hoth, the interactions between the characters, everything Yoda as a character stood for, Luke’s transition from a lost farm boy to a capable warrior. There’s not really much more I can say about this that hasn't already been said a thousand times by better writers than I. Just know that I love this movie and you should go re-watch it… preferably on VHS if you can.

1- District 9

District 9, to me, is a perfect movie. I cannot say a bad thing about it. I’m sorry, I can’t think of what to say other than I love this movie more than any other piece of cinema I have ever seen. Ironically as my favourite movie I have almost nothing to say about it. I have no words sadly, it’s just perfect, so go watch it. Alex Chhaya